Pedro Ramirez is the student body president at Fresno State University.  By all accounts, Pedro is a well respected student and a hard working member of society.  The only problem is that Pedro has never had a job in his life.  Because he doesn’t have a social security number, and he is not a citizen of the United States.

Of course, this minor stipulation is perfectly acceptable by the left-wing nutjobs who run California, and it is also perfectly acceptable for Fresno State University officials who have supported Pedro’s bid for student body president and his “right” to continue to receive an education in the United States.

Before going any further, it should be pointed out that Ramirez was smuggled into the United States by his parents when he was 3 years old.  He is obviously not someone who should be entirely blamed for the current scandal.  He was put in this position by his parents who decided to violate the laws of the United States to serve their own self-interest.  Now, Ramirez has been put in a position to lose everything that he has worked for, when the reality is that he never should have had any of it to begin with.

The revelation of Pedro’s status as an undocumented immigrant came in the aftermath of his election as student body president.  The president is allotted a stipend of $9,000 for serving the student body.  On receiving the news that he had earned such a sizable stipend– it is reported that he was unaware of the stipend– he alerted school officials of his illegal status and declined the money on those grounds.  However, some administrators knew of his illegality prior to this scandal, as Ramirez was required to submit proper documentation to the college in order to gain acceptance as a freshman.  They allowed him to attend the university.

His opposition in the student government race discovered his illegal status and submitted the story to the school newspaper, where the information was published and the controversy unleashed.  Here is a statement from school officials:

School administrators said Ramirez broke no rules by running for president of Associated Students Inc.

“To our way of thinking he hasn’t done anything wrong,” said Paul Oliaro, vice president for Student Affairs.

“This is a very diverse region, agriculture is dominant, and this is going to cause a lot of controversy. But the reality is that these students are … here, they’re legitimate students, and if anything, Pedro shows what they can contribute,” Oliaro said, adding, “We’ll see how this plays out.”

Yes, the reality is that the students are here, but also, the reality is that California state officials allow them to be here with rulings like Monday’s mandate by the California State Supreme Court:

On Monday, the California Supreme Court decided unanimously that illegal immigrants who graduated from state high schools can continue to receive lower, in-state tuition at California’s public universities and colleges. It’s the first state Supreme Court ruling of its kind in the nation.

The case was brought on behalf of citizens who are paying the higher out-of-state tuition rates. The group contended that lower tuition could not be offered to illegal students and denied to some citizens.

So, an illegal immigrant is allowed to take advantage of benefits that regular citizens are denied.  Legitimate citizens of this country are require to pay higher tuition rates than illegal Mexicans.  It almost makes me want to throw up.  These kinds of ridiculous hard left decisions are not only completely wrong in a constitutional sense, but they put hard working American citizens at an unfair disadvantage to illegal immigrants who have never held a job in their life…

And why should Ramirez step down?  Why should he voluntarily leave the state, leave the country?  The inability of the state to enforce the laws in place allows illegals to take advantage of benefits they do not deserve.  If you can manage to get through high school without being discovered, you can go ahead and take advantage of benefits designated for U.S. citizens.  Here is a statement from a Steve Camarota, advocate for an organization supporting immigration reform:

“Why should he step down?” Camarota said. “He’s very clearly gotten the message that immigration law doesn’t matter — you can violate it with impunity.”

Why indeed?  This situation is one in which the entire slate of American citizens should be calling out in disgust.  Latinos included. How do you think legal immigrants and home born Hispanic citizens feel about an illegal immigrant taking advantage benefits reserved for legitimate citizens? I can tell you that all legal citizens of this country should be disgusted with the handling of this situation.

And then there are these statements from Ramirez, who seems to not understand that he violated United States laws:

“In a way, I’m relieved,” said Ramirez, a 22-year-old political science major from Tulare, Calif. “I don’t want to be a liability or cost the school donations. I never really thought this was going to happen. But now that it’s out there, I finally feel ready to say ‘Yes, it’s me. I’m one of the thousands.’ “

“Could you leave my parents out of it?” he asked. “They’ve done everything for me.”

Is this kid for real??? He’s not 3 years old anymore, so this kind of ignorance is somewhat inexcusable.  However, it probably can be somewhat attributed to the indoctrination of California society, which allows illegals to violate the laws of our nation unhindered.  Obviously, this type of government sends to wrong message, and clearly Ramirez has decided to join them in evading the reality of the situation.

Leave you parents out of it?  They’ve given you everything?  Look it’s tough that you have achieved a level of success in America, but it was done illegally.  It’s an illusion.  His parents didn’t give him anything but an illusion of success and the probability that this success would be stripped away in an instant.  Ramirez isn’t losing anything, because he was never entitled to anything in the first place.

And of course, hovering in the shadows behind all of this controversy is Harry Reid’s infamous Dream Act.  The Democrats of the current lame-duck session have promised to push for a vote on the Dream Act before the new congressmen enter into session in 2011.  Ramirez is a member of an organization called the Dream Network:

He is also involved in the Dream Network — an organization of undocumented students working for passage of the Dream Act, a proposed federal law that would allow students living in the U.S. illegally to earn legal status if they graduate from high school and complete two years in college or the military.

How about the Democrats actually focus on the issues that affect legal American citizens?  Like perhaps the Bush Tax Cuts?  Maybe, cutting government waste?  Maybe, stimulating the private sector by reducing regulations on things like domestic energy production?  But no, the Democrats are committed to forcing a vote that grants illegal residents of this country the opportunity steal benefits from hardworking Americans. 

Ramirez has repeatedly spoken of his aspiration to achieve the “American Dream.”  One problem: the American Dream is reserved for  Americans.  If you are a legal citizen of this country, you are entitled to work for success and the achievement of the American Dream.  If you are not a legal resident of the United States, you are not entitled to achieve that success.  The Left has adopted this untenable perception that the American Dream applies to all people in our country regardless of their legality, and this perception is simply not fair and not acceptable.  It’s hard enough to work for the American Dream as a citizen of this country, but when illegals come into our country and take opportunities from hardworking Americans there is no opinion in the entire world that can convince me this is acceptable.